GLSV Gets Two SBIR Contracts

HOUGHTON — Great Lakes Sound and Vibration Inc. in Houghton was recently awarded two federal contracts in support of research and development of tactical ground vehicles.

The first award is a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research grant titled “Development of Affordable, High-Performing Passive Exhaust Systems and Manufacturing Technology.”

The vision is to create a tool for vehicle engineers that will provide the performance data and the components for a custom exhaust system, all at a fraction of the cost available today. GLSV uses state of the art tools for acoustic modeling, thermal prediction and manufacturing of exhaust systems.

The second award is a Phase II SBIR, a 2-year effort to develop an active noise cancellation system for military vehicles. This contract is supported by U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research and Development Command Ground Vehicle Power and Mobility and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In general, Phase I SBIRs are around $100,000, and Phase II grants around $750,000.

The project aims to enable “silent watch,” and at the same time, provide power to auxiliary systems including cooling, electronics and surveillance equipment. However, as the auxiliary power unit engine speed varies, the exhaust noise varies beyond the range of a passive system. GLSV is tasked to develop this variable cancellation technology that is robust, compact, lightweight, and affordable.

GLSV Inc. has about 25 employees engaged in solving difficult noise and vibration problems. The company has grown with complimentary capabilities that include exhaust system design, isolation mounts, shock, vibration and acoustic modeling and testing.

GLSV is a leader in acoustic signature optimization and is working on many of the Army’s latest vehicle development programs. GLSV has a full machine shop to support custom product development, test equipment builds and low volume manufacturing. GLSV currently manufactures exhaust systems for military vehicles, APU’s and helicopters.